Hall of Fame

by Lauren Vogel Weiss The first woman ever inducted into the PAS Hall of Fame, Keiko Abe was honored at the PASIC ’93 Awards Banquet in Columbus, Ohio. As the diminutive lady shyly approached the microphone to thank her peers, one could only contrast her manner with the confident way she approaches the marimba.  Abe…

by J. J. Rusch “It is the culmination of a lifetime”the highest award in ‘percussiondom’”I can finally die,” says William F. Ludwig II of his induction to the PAS Hall of Fame. Though the PAS membership is composed of players, educators, students and industry people, Ludwig is overwhelmed about his election because, “Most of the…

by Rick Mattingly “I was very honored,” Joe Morello says of his induction into the PAS Hall of Fame. “It was especially nice being there with Bill Ludwig, who I became associated with in 1954, and it was great seeing guys like Ed Soph and Peter Erskine again.” Soph, who presented Morello’s award on behalf…

by James A. Strain Hailed as the “first concert marimbist,” Vida Chenoweth, following in the steps of Clair Omar Musser, was one of the most influential artists ever to perform on the instrument. She pioneered compositional, performance and interpretive techniques commonly used on the instrument today, among these the performance of polyphonic music via independent…

by Rick Mattingly He says that being elected to the pas hall of Fame is “quite an honor” and cites previous inductees as “a pretty prestigious bunch of folks.” But Emil Richards says that the biggest thrill is in being given the same honor as his first major influence, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, who was elected…

by Dana Kimble and James A. Strain Sammy Herman was New York’s first-call xylophonist for radio, television, recordings and live performances for over forty years. As the xylophonist for the NBC studios in New York from 1928 to 1966, his career spanned the “golden age” for both the xylophone and radio, and ushered in the…

by Lisa Rogers “Zildjian, my dream and hope.” – Gino Akiyama “Zildjian – the cymbal that makes me sound like myself.” – Trilok Gurtu “The sound of the Zildjian cymbal is part of my life.” – Tony Williams These quotes from a brochure celebrating the 370th anniversary of the Avedis Zildjian company in 1993 embody…

by James A. Strain Everett “Vic” Firth – timpanist, educator, entrepreneur and composer – says that he was “honored and delighted” when informed of his election to the PAS Hall of Fame. “Compliments from one’s peers are the thing a person values most,” he said, “so I feel it is a great distinction to be…

by Rebecca Kite Distinguished as both a performer and teacher, George Gaber’s lifetime achievements include work with many of the most important orchestras, composers and conductors of the twentieth century. His dedication to teaching and standard of excellence live on in his numerous students who are involved in all areas of music throughout the world….

by Rick Mattingly You’ll rarely see Jim Chapin without a pair of sticks and a practice pad. Part of it is his sheer love of playing; part of it comes from when his book Advanced Techniques for the Modern Drummer was first published in 1948 and he was frequently challenged to prove that the patterns…